This cake is very famous among the straits born chinese (baba and nyonya). It should be well risen to make sure the cake is soft and well done. The fire should not be too high or the cake will burn easily. For best results use charcoal stove. Gas stove can also be used but make sure to control the fire.

Apam Ingredients:

A

500 g rice flour

25 g glutinuous flour

300 ml coconut water

150 ml thick coconut milk + 2 tbsp oil

B

150 ml water

50 g rice flour

C

1 tsp instant yeast/ 2 tbsp fresh yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 cup luke warm water

Apam Berkuah Sauce ingredients:

1/2 brown sugar

2 tbsp sugar

1 cup water

1 tsp cornflour

3 ripe banana (slice)

Method of cooking:
1. Mix all the ingredients A in a bowl. Beat for 5 minutes.
2. Put B in a pot, stir over low fire till it is gluey and thickens.
3. Add to A mixture. Add in C mixture
4. Let the mixture rest for 6 hours till it rises.

5. Prepare the sauce. Mix in all the ingredients and let it boil. Once thickens, put off the fire and let it cool.
6. When the mixture is well risen, heat up the apam mould. Rub some oil on the mould. Pour a few tablespoons of the mixture into the mould. Let it cook over medium heat. Lower the fire once a lot of bubbles can be seen.
7. When cooked, place the apam on a plate. Served with the prepared sauce.

Note:Once the dough has risen, do not stir the mixture. Just scoop a few tablespoons of the risen dough
into the mould and let it rise slowly.

Mayonaise chicken is actually fried chicken topped with mayonaise. It's a simple dish and loved by a lot of kids. Nowadays there are ready-cut chicken chop pieces. It can can found in most central markets.

Ingredients:

2 pieces chicken chop meat

1 egg

1/2 teasp salt

1/2 teasp pepper

1/2 bowl wheat flour

2 tabsp mayonaise

oil for frying

Method:

1. Season the chicken chop meat with salt and pepper.

2. Dip the chicken in beaten egg and coat with flour.

3. Heat up 2 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. When hot, put in the chicken and fry till both sides are brown and crispy. Dish up and chop into mouth-bite pieces.

4. Serve on a plate and topped with mayonaise.

serving: 2 person

variations: wheat flour can be replaced with bread crumps.

note: mayonaise can be bought at any supermarkets. Any parts of chicken can be used. If you do not like chicken, replace it with with, prawns or squids.

This dish is usually cooked during festivals. It is a Malay dish and liked by many Asians. Coconut milk can be replaced with fresh or powdered milk. Kerisik can be bought in the market or supermarket. It is done by frying grated coconut over low fire in a kuali till brown. Then grind or pound it till fine. It is now ready for use.

Ingredients:

kerisik in a container

1 tbsp kerisik

1 stalk lemon grass (crushed)

1 cup coconut milk

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

Method:

Pound garlic, onions, shrimp paste and chillies.

Crush the lemon grass.

Heat up the oil, saute the grounded ingredients and lemon grass till fragrant.

Add in the chicken pieces and coconut milk.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add in kerisik and salt.

Dish out and serve in a bowl.

cooking time: 25 minutesserving: 4 personNote: Can be served with rice, bread or noodles.

Yong Tau Foo is a dish made up of fish paste which are usually stuffed withtaufu, brinjals, bitter gourd, chillies, ladies finger and taukee skin. Home-made fish paste would taste better. Home-made fish paste can also be bought in the market.

'Tenggeri' fish is usually used to do the fish paste

Yong tau fu ingredients

Ingredients:

1/2 kg ikantenggiri flesh

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cornflour

100 ml water

2 brinjal (cut into a few pieces and make a slit)

2 white taufu (cut into 2 and make a slit in the centre)

1 piece taukee (cut into 6 pieces)

2 string taufu pok (make a slit in each taufu pok)

2 tbsp taucheong

1 tbsp Maggi osyter sauce

1/2 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp cornflour mix with 1 tbsp water

1/2cup water

2 tsp chopped garlic

2 tbsp oil

Method:

1.Pound the fish flesh, add salt, cornflour and water till a spongy and shiny paste is form.

2. Put some fish paste into the slit taufoo. taufoo pok and brinjals. Spread some fish paste on the taukee pieces and flip over.

Here's how they should look like after stuffing

3. Heat up the oil. Fry all the stuffed ingredients till cook. Put on a plate.

4. Now, let's do the gravy. Fry garlic, taucheong and then add 1/2 cup water to it.

variation: This dish can also be cooked as a soup.To make soup, instead of using taucheong and other sauces, sugar and cornflour (sauce ingredients mentioned above), add a liter of water with any seasoning. I recommend to add 1 tbsp of Maggi anchovy granules stock.

Note: ready-made fish paste can be bought in the night market (pasar malam) or some morning market.